India’s GJEPC announces winners of The Artisan Awards 2022
India’s Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) announced the winners of the 5thedition of The Artisan Awards, powered by GIA, at a glittering ceremony in Mumbai.
The awards were given by chief guest David Bennett, former Worldwide Chairman, International Jewellery Division, Sotheby’s, along with Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC; Vipul Shah, Vice Chairman, GJEPC; Milan Chokshi, Convener, Promotions, Marketing & Business Development, GJEPC; and Sriram Natarajan, Managing Director, GIA India.
GJEPC conceptualised The Artisan Awards in 2014 with the sole purpose of motivating designers and artisans who are the backbone of this industry. The Awards provides a platform for jewellery designers to push their creativity and design aesthetics to showcase world-class pieces. Over the years, the Artisan Awards has been attracting a lot of entries not just from India, but all parts of the world – thus establishing its prestigious leadership position in the jewellery industry.
At the Artisan Awards 2022, in all 9 awards were given away, 3 in each category of the theme – The Collectors. The theme was based on 3 iconic and legendary women who were known for their incredible style; insatiable hunger for beautiful, one-of-a-kind, signature jewels – a) Elizabeth Taylor, b) Barbara Hutton, and c) Wallis Simpson. The competition received 570 entries from India and across the world including UK, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, and Russia. The entries were evaluated based on the versatility, technicality, and adaptability of classic curations in today’s time.
Eminent personalities from the world of fashion and jewellery were part of the jury for Artsian Awards which included former Journalist and Columnist Gayatri Rangachari, bespoke Jewellery Consultant Arundhati De, avant-garde Jewellery Designer heading VAK Jewels Vishal Kothari, and GIA India Managing Director Sriram Natarajan. The international jury members were award-winning jewellery designer and professor Reena Ahluwalia and former Worldwide Chairman, International Jewellery Division, Sotheby’s David Bennett, who judged the pieces virtually. The technical jury for the Artisan 2022 consisted of Vikram Singh, Creative Head of Walking Tree and Devinder Layal, Jewellery Artist and Educationist. Nisha Jhangiani was the curator and conceptuliser for the The Artisan Awards 2022.
As a prelude to the Artisan Awards, a luxury roundtable #AllForArt, was organised by GJEPC which witnessed industry stalwarts like Gayatri Rangachari, Vishal Kothari, Milan Chokshi, and David Bennett as panelists, moderated by Jewellery Historian Deepti Sasidharan. The eminent personalities discussed the journey of jewels that has transcended since the royal era and how millennials have adapted these fine heirlooms in their urban lifestyle. Jewellery is no longer meant to be ‘locked’ and kept aside for special occasions but transformed into new and wearable heirlooms. In present times, youngsters are remaking old jewellery according to the current trends and designs. The talk also highlighted the importance of giving budding jewellery designers a premier platform like The Artisan Awards to give wings to their talent and curations.
Chief Guest David Bennett, former Worldwide Chairman, International Jewellery Division, Sotheby’s said, “I was thrilled to see the finalists’ innovative creations brought to life in precious materials. I am extremely happy to have witnessed this edition of The Artisan Awards, having personally auctioned the jewellery of the Duchess of Windsor. It is exciting to see so much talent in the area of contemporary jewellery making, shot through with influences from Hollywood, royalty and high society. It’s been a privilege to have had the opportunity to experience the journey from the initial designs on paper to the stunning three-dimensional jewels.”
Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC, said, “This has been a year of revival and resilience. Today, our country is at the helm of the jewellery business, that is well known for our exceptional designing and manufacturing talent pool which has created renowned jewellery pieces cherished across the world. The Artisan Awards is one of the main initiatives to showcase India’s design prowess and position the country as one of the main design destinations for jewellery. Through Awards, the GJEPC has been encouraging designers to think fearlessly and shape the future of design with unbridled creativity. This year too, we received an overwhelming response despite the tough theme of styling the three famous style icons of yesteryear whose jewellery collections were unparalleled. The Council has also been nurturing previous winning designers by providing them international exposure and opportunities to intern with leading brands in the industry.”
